A Fresh Start: Keiko's Adventures
by Setch
Summary: Another story in the Fresh Start universe (May or may not need to read previous fics to understand fully). This time we get to see Keiko's point of view on the Sakurazaki-McDowell family and their antics.


_I'm going too start with what my mommy taught me. My name is Keiko Sakurazaki-McDowell. I know it's a long name, but you better remember it. I am seven years old. I love doing magic and playing with animals. I don't like useless people -mommy uses that word a lot and I think it's cool. Don't tell mom, though. She doesn't like it when I use mean words._

"Keiko?" She snapped her head up towards her mom, who was looking at her daughter with curious eyes again.

"Yes, mom?" Setsuna smiled at her daughter and pointed right outside the window.

"Wanna fly?" Keiko's little feet wobbled as she ran past the older woman, squealing her thanks on the way

_Mom is the best at flying. She has these huge, beautiful white wings. Sometimes, when we take a bath together, she lets me pet them and play a little. It's soooo soft! Like- like mommy's hugs. They are soft and make me all warm in my tummy. I told mommy about it, and she just hugged me more and made me all weird inside. Mom and mommy are just that weird._

_Mom says my wings will be bigger and more beautiful, but I don't think so. My wings are small and black, and it's hard to fly. Mom says that's normal because I am still too small to fly high like she does._

"What are you writing there?" Evangeline approached her daughter as the young one fuzzed around with her caligraphy. She was a perfectionist though and through.

"My diary." Keiko answered as if it was obvious. For such a small child, she sure had a lot of smartassness (as Evangeline had dubbed it).

"Do you want any help?" But Evangeline was already moving away, knowing that Keiko did not, in fact, need or want any help from anyone. She was stubborn like that. However, if she actually needed any help, whether she realised it or not, Setsuna or Evangeline would be there to lend a helping hand. Sometimes it turned to be a spanking hand -in Eva's case, because Setsuna ran downtown as soon as her baby started whimpering.

_Mommy is one of the coolest moms ever. She knows tons of magic and stories, and she cooks better than mom. Mom tells me that mommy smiles so much more since I came. My aunts and uncles tell me that she used to be very unhappy. But honestly, I haven't seen a day in which my mommy hasn't smiled._

"Lie down, woman. You're already too old for this." Setsuna winked at her wife, who in turn glared at her, but chose not to smack her.

"Too old she says." Eva mumbled under her breath as she crossed her arms and lied down as requested. "I'll show you old later." Setsuna froze, let out an odd whimper, then rushed away from their bedroom.

Evangeline merely smirked. Keiko just shook her head in confusion. Adult stuff, she figured.

_I have to mention my gran, don't I? Well, gran Shion is the best grandma in the world. She gives me lots of cookies and hot chocolate, and lets me stay up late watching the stars -because I don't like TV. Sometimes gran comes and lies with me, and she tells me stories about great warriors that became stars. She tells me that my mom's mommy is there too. She was a warrior and she saved my mom's life. I really love my mom's mommy, even if I can't see her._

"She was the sweetest thing." Grandma Shion was telling Keiko about her mom's childhood. "Running around all skinny. Like a headless chicken." Grandma Shion frowned. "No one could get her to stay put in one place."

Keiko tilted her head. That didn't sound like her mom _at all._

"Why didn't she stay with you?" Grandma Shion never answered.

_Like my mommy, I don't like it when people are silly. I get angry and yell at them for not doing things right. Mom tells me I am too much like mommy sometimes. Mommy pats my head and kisses my forehead. _

"Laugh it off, will you?" Setsuna snorted. "Just wait until she freezes someone in her class and _you _have to talk to the teacher about the correct uses of magic." Evangeline huffed, but shrugged off the commentary.

"It will happen when it has to happen."

And it did.

Several times, in fact.

Setsuna never looked so smug.

_Not too long ago, I discovered that my mom actually dislikes someone. There is this new teacher at school; Mr. Henri. He comes from a far away land with a complicated name. To be honest, I don't like him either. He smells like too many flowers and is always punishing me and calling my mommy to school. Maybe I could ask mom to punch him?_

"You smell like him." Setsuna sulked. Evangeline groaned and stomped away, most likely to take a shower and wash off the stench of the teacher.

Setsuna kissed Keiko's head and followed Evangeline, warning Keiko against going with them. They'd guard it with spells anyway, and Keiko was doing her homework.

_Mommy and mom came all flushed from their showers. They smell like roses, but it's better than Mr. Henri's smell. I like it._

"You know I can't kick him. He's some politician's son. Too much trouble." Setsuna nodded her head tersely, her jaw tense as well as her stance. "Just another month. Kaede is getting as much sh- as much as she can on him and his father." Setsuna smiled genuinely for the first time in the last days and hugged Evangeline to her, nuzzling her head.

"I thought he'd get the message after he saw the daughter, the ring and the wife." Setsuna spoke calmly, though there was a possessive undertone.

"He's an idiot." Evangeline smiled almost evilly. "I call dibs on kicking him first." A banter soon started. The bets on who would get to kick the man first where on the table.

_Mr. Henri never came back. I'm not too sure about where he went. Mommy and mom won't tell me. They just smile. I asked gran as well, but she just starts laughing and pats my head. _

_My family is confusing._

"Keiko." Evangeline's usually assertive tone wavered as she called for her daughter.

"Mommy?" The smallest blonde glanced at her mother in worry. "What's wrong?" Seeing her mother, all dizzy and pale, made her a bit nervous. And Keiko didn't know how to deal with that yet.

"Call your mom."

_Mom has been staying at home more time. She's circling around the house all the time. She hugs me and mommy more, and she tells me to behave and not bother mommy. I am still worried. My mommy looks very sick, but she looks happy too. She's been playing with me more often, under mom's eagle eyes, of course._

_Mom and mommy act very strange._

"Shit! Another one!?" Asuna called from the doorstep as soon as she arrived on a surprise visit.

Setsuna smiled proudly. Evangeline glared and then proceeded to teach Asuna about manners in front of her daughter.

_I'm having a little sister. Mommy says I can only have sisters, not brothers. It's okay. I will love her like I love mommy, mom, gran and everyone who is nice to me. I hope my sister is nice to me as well._

"Munchkin!" Keiko glared at her redheaded aunt with passion. She always hated that nickname. "Woah! You have a little Eva in there!" Asuna looked extremely worried about that.

_My aunt Asuna is weird. Too weird sometimes. She has these dramatic reactions to everything all the time. She also treats me like a child, which I'm not sure I like that much. I mean, I know I am a child, but she could at least not treat me like I'm stupid._

_I hope mom doesn't read this. She will get so mad at me!_

"Keiko!"

The little girl paled as she glanced at the object in her mom's hands.

_Mom read my diary. I am grounded._

"Was that-?" Setsuna's hand froze over Evangeline's stomach. The blonde nodded, smiling lightly as she too put her hands on her round belly.

"Keiko, come here!" Setsuna gushed as she caressed Evangeline's stomach, much to the blonde's embarrassment.

Like the good daughter she was, Keiko approached her parents with no small amount of curiosity. It wasn't everyday that Sakurazaki Setsuna melted faster than ice-cream in the oven. Her mom was whispering to her mommy's stomach. Keiko was no fool; she knew that her mom was talking to her little sibling in her mommy's tummy, but she also knew that the baby couldn't hear or understand what her mom was babbling.

Keiko smiled widely as she placed her hand and immediately felt the kick.

_Mom and mommy are trying to decide my little sister's name. It's so funny to watch them. They yell and tickle each other. And mom always sleeps on the couch._

"Emily?" Setsuna suggested.

"No." Evangeline answered as she skimmed through the pages of her magazine.

"Anna?" Evangeline gave her a look. "Okay. No... Shane?"

"No." Setsuna sighed.

"...Genesis?"

"...Seriously?"

_Mom has been running around a lot lately. Mommy says it's because my sister is going to be here soon, so she's really really nervous. I think it's funny how mom comes immediately if mommy calls her, even if she only wants a glass of water._

"Setsuna?" The samurai was at her side. The vampire almost didn't see her barg in.

"What? What?" Was her frantic answer.

"My water broke." Setsuna nodded her head absentmindedly.

"Right away." She marched out of the bedroom. Evangeline sighed and rubbed her forehead. She patiently waited for three minutes until Setsuna barged in again, babbling incoherences.

"Now you understand?" Evangeline laughed at her wife's expense. "Go get Shion." Evangeline made sure that Setsuna understood perfectly this time.

Setsuna blushed from embarrassment before flying away.

_I have a little sister! Her name is Isabella. Mom named her because she wanted a Western name like mommy's. I think it's a nice name. Izzy is the cutest little sister, even if she has no hair. And she has blue eyes! It's like looking into a glass of water. Mom and mommy let me hold her. She's so small and quiet._

_I'm going to be the best big sister ever. If anyone says mean things to her I'm going to scare them with mom's sword.. Then I'm going to freeze them like mommy taught me to. No one messes with my sister._

* * *

"Setsuna, can you check on Isabella?" Evangeline called from the bathroom as she put on lipstick for her date with her wife.

"On it." The samurai got up from the bed.

As she passed Keiko's bedroom, she couldn't help but peek curiously into her bedroom. Her daughter was furiously mumbling under her breath as she stared at the piece of paper in her hands.

"Need any help, honey?" Keiko visibly jumped from her seat and glared at her mom.

"..." Keiko pouted stubbornly. She didn't like asking for help, even if it was her mom. Setsuna smirked, understanding immediately her mood change. She held up her finger before checking on Isabella in the other room, making sure she didn't need anything -her youngest daughter almost never cried, you had to guess if she needed a change of diapers or test if she was hungry. She then went back to Keiko's room and placed her hands on the young girl's shoulders.

"What do we have here?" Keiko, albeit hesitantly, showed her the paper. Setsuna's eyes widened for a second before she smiled warmly.

"Do you want to write this together?" Keiko smiled gleefully as she scooted to let her mom sit with her.

They only took twenty minutes. With Setsuna's help, Keiko had almost no trouble writing. In fact, she discovered that writing with her mom was one of the funniest things ever.

Shion arrived ten minutes after they finished, and Setsuna and Evangeline kissed their daughters goodnight before rushing away, thrilled by the opportunity to have some alone time.

It was almost midnight when Keiko revised her letter one last time;

_Dear aunt Konoka (Dear Kono-chan),_

_Mom told me that she sometimes writes letters to you because you are her best friend. I don't have a best friend; the kids at school are stupid (silly), except for Valerie because she shares her glue with me and shares the swings. But it's okay, I don't want a best friend now. _

_I just wanted to tell you how we are doing, since mom and mommy are busy with work, and me and Izzy, and other adult stuff. I want you to explain to me what other adult stuff is, please. (Yes, Kono-chan. Please explain.)_

_Mom is okay. She's still jumpy whenever Izzy cries. She even cried when Izzy got her first fever (Did not). Did had to smack her head and call her lots of mean names; it was so funny! (It seems that Keiko and I will have to talk about what's funny...). Anyway, she's still my silly mom, so not much has changes._

_Mommy is okay too. She's been spending lots of time with Izzy, mom and I. Don't call her homemaker because she gets really, really mad, though (She REALLY does.) She's been smiling a lot and tells me the funniest stories from when you were all small (She means high school). Did you really heal a dragon after aunt Kaede beat it? Why? Wasn't he being a meanie to those people? You should have let him alone as punishment, he would have been fine anyway. (I'm really worried about her Eva-ness sometimes)._

_Izzy is the best little sister ever! She smiles all the time and never cries. She's not yucky like the other small children I've seen. She has the most awesome blue eyes too. They are lighter than mommy's and really, really big; like a little doll's. I also like petting her head a lot, because her hair is black like mom's but so much softer! It's like a puppy's. (We shall also discuss later the comparison between little babies and puppies, later on...)_

_Grandma is, well, grandma! She hasn't changed a bit since the last time you saw her. (She hasn't. The woman's like a statue)._

_I'll leave mom to write the rest now, she is going out with mommy tonight and she doesn't have much time, so don't be upset if she doesn't write a lot like me. Besides, I'm more awesome. (...Eva-ness...)_

_Hello, Kono-chan. I suppose you're having a field day with this. I am as well, though, as you can clearly see, I'll have a few words with this one about behavior and language._

_Keiko has said everything I could, as far as I can tell. She's such a sweet and smart girl -at least she's sweet around us._

_I can only say that we miss you and Naomi. And of course, everyone else. But mostly you, you know? You've been my best friend -previous crush aside- for as long as I remember. I just miss having you near me. I miss those days when I only had to walk fifty meters and knock on your dorm room's door. Those days seem so far away now. It is true what they say about cherishing the present and not thinking about the past and future. It's so much better that way. It's a shame you only learn that with age and experience._

_I'd like to meet again some day soon and catch up. I want to know how Naomi and Shunra's relationship is doing (they sure came as a surprise). I want to give Shunra 'the parent talk' because I know that you're far too nice to do it and your ex is a no go. I want you to see my daughters for more than a few hours, so they can meet their awesome aunt Konoka properly._

_Eva and I have been talking a lot lately. We know that you're retiring soon; that you'll leave the Association in Naomi's hands. It'll take time and patience, since she's new to all that and needs to settle her own business before. We know it's a few years away yet, but-_

_Kono-chan, you probably don't know this, but there is a nice house above the waterfalls right outside out house. It's been abandoned for years now. The land is ours anyway, so it's not like someone can just barg in and claim it. It has two paths that leat to town and a nice view from every single window._

_I'm sure you already know where I'm going with this._

_I know that you'll get lonely once you retire. With Naomi starting her own life as an adult and all the others busy with their own lives... You'll feel alone, and I don't want that. Eva agreed immediately to the idea. We want you to come and claim that house as yours. That is, if you want it._

_I'll let you think about it. You don't need to answer right away, okay? Just know that Eva is already preparing a mighty speech in case you want to refuse. It's mainly made of curses and threats, but she means good._

_I better go now. I'm taking Eva on a date. I'm taking her for a walk and then we're flying to the nearest city to participate in a tournament (I already signed us up). Then we'll win and have dinner near the waterfall. I know half of it doesn't sound exactly romantic, but it's our thing, and we've been dying for some action lately._

_Love,_

_Setsuna and Keiko._

* * *

I _**know **_I'm supposed to write ASBAN, but writing this has been such fun! To be honest, I already have at least half of ASBAN written and saved in at least four different pendrives and two computers. So, yeah... I haven't really given up on it. I'm just one lazy person, and now I'm a lazy person on second year of College (don't ask how I got that far).

And, Paula, shut it! I'm working on them, dammit!


End file.
